Phone Cameras

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Baurice
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Phone Cameras

#1

Post by Baurice »


Honestly? I don't like them. I thought that the compact digital cameras that they replaced were far better for astronomy.

That doesn't stop me from having a go, though. I will be trying out various things with them. I will be doing stuff with DSLR cameras, too and, if/when my back gets better, I will also be using a telescope.

One of my mission goals is to try and get good photos without spending too much money. I am also trying out free image processing apps.

Keep watching my blog for more information:

http://sungazer127mak.blogspot.com/
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Re: Phone Cameras

#2

Post by JayTee »


There is an app I use for my smartphone AP, Deep Sky Camera. If you have an Android phone, this app is very useful. I'm still experimenting with it as it has many functions that can be adjusted.

Here's the link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... n_US&gl=US
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Re: Phone Cameras

#3

Post by chris_g »


JayTee wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 8:24 pm There is an app I use for my smartphone AP, Deep Sky Camera. If you have an Android phone, this app is very useful.
I've had it on my phone too but haven't really played with it yet. Need to mount my phone to one of my mounts. The latest development will let me take subs up to 60 seconds on my S22 instead of 30.

So much different tech to play with here, sometimes forget some! :lol:

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Re: Phone Cameras

#4

Post by pakarinen »


NightCap gets very good reviews. Looks like it's less intuitive than other long exposure apps though.
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Re: Phone Cameras

#5

Post by Oldfort »


pakarinen wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:37 pm NightCap gets very good reviews. Looks like it's less intuitive than other long exposure apps though.
I agree about it not being very intuitive, and the documentation is quite limited. However there is an excellent guide on CN written by Geezergazer,.
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Re: Phone Cameras

#6

Post by Unitron48 »


JayTee wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 8:24 pm There is an app I use for my smartphone AP, Deep Sky Camera. If you have an Android phone, this app is very useful. I'm still experimenting with it as it has many
Thanks! Going to try it.

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Re: Phone Cameras

#7

Post by Jnicholes »


I use Nightcap on my Iphone 11 with my telescope, with pretty good results. You just got to know how to use it properly. After doing phone editing, like raising exposure, brilliance, etc, I get great photos.

My favorite examples, all taken with Nightcap:
M13
M13
M42-43
M42-43
M57
M57
M8
M8
M10 with C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS
M10 with C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS



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Iphone 11 Nightcap app Camera

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Re: Phone Cameras

#8

Post by Frankskywatcher »


Jnicholes wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:29 pm I use Nightcap on my Iphone 11 with my telescope, with pretty good results. You just got to know how to use it properly. After doing phone editing, like raising exposure, brilliance, etc, I get great

Jared
That’s amazing to think you got images like that with just an I phone !😳
Gee if I had known there was so much to see I would have started decades ago ! :Astronomer1:

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Re: Phone Cameras

#9

Post by pakarinen »


Jnicholes wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:29 pm I use Nightcap on my Iphone 11 with my telescope, with pretty good results. You just got to know how to use it properly. After doing phone editing, like raising exposure, brilliance, etc, I get great photos.
What settings are you using? I just downloaded NC onto my iPhone and it looks like the longest exposure I can make is 1/2-sec, which seems odd.

I have two other apps and while they have limited features, I can do much longer exposures.
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Re: Phone Cameras

#10

Post by Jnicholes »


pakarinen wrote: Sat Feb 04, 2023 5:00 pm
Jnicholes wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:29 pm I use Nightcap on my Iphone 11 with my telescope, with pretty good results. You just got to know how to use it properly. After doing phone editing, like raising exposure, brilliance, etc, I get great photos.
What settings are you using? I just downloaded NC onto my iPhone and it looks like the longest exposure I can make is 1/2-sec, which seems odd.

I have two other apps and while they have limited features, I can do much longer exposures.
Do you see the star symbol on the lower left of the screen when you pull up the app and are in the camera? If you do, tap it, and then select “long exposure.” What I like to do, is set the ISO to 12500. I do this by swiping up on the left side of the phone. This makes it brighter. You can adjust this if it gets too bright, though.

I also swipe up on the right side of the phone and set it to 1/1. This is the exposure. I find this is the only way to capture big detail on objects like the Orion nebula. It also helps see faint objects like the black eye galaxy.

On the bottom, is the FOC. I just adjust that until the image is nice and crisp. I would focus your telescope, first, then use that to fine-tune the focus. It will continue to auto focus sometimes during the exposure, if you don’t set it.

If you want to do a brighter object, like the moon, don’t use too high an exposure and ISO.

You can use this to capture sunspots on the sun. However, you need a solar filter.

That’s about all the advice I can give right now. I have yet to make this app work for planetary observing, but I’m still working on it. I actually reached out to the company, and they gave me some good tips. I’ll see if I can find that email and post what they said.

If you need more help, I can post a screenshot from my phone to show you what I mean.

Good luck, and I’m glad I was able to teach somebody some thing this time!

Jared
Celestron Nexstar 8SE Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope
25mm plossl Eyepiece
Goto mount
Iphone 11 Nightcap app Camera

"Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of finitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of life is to grasp as much as we can out of that infinitude."

Alfred North Whitehead
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